Tortoises, being herbivorous animals, should consume predominantly dark leafy greens as well as grass, hay, weeds, and fruit as their diet. Any plants high in oxalic acid or goitrogens that may bind calcium for absorption should be avoided as these substances could reduce calcium absorption rates and prevent absorption altogether.
Make sure that tortoises have access to fresh drinking water at all times, and be on the lookout for any internal parasites or infections in their waste products.
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Feeding Schedule
As the caretaker of a tortoise, your responsibility lies in ensuring it receives proper nutrition and sustenance. Like other animals, tortoises require certain vitamins and minerals in order to remain healthy – this will aid their shells and skeletons from being damaged over time.
Tortoises must receive the appropriate balance of foods in their diets to maintain good health. Tortoises typically eat an array of plants and weeds in nature and should receive this diet when possible in their domestic homes.
Dandelion and clover leaves and flowers make excellent additions to a tortoise’s diet, and can often be found growing wild or in gardens, along with hibiscus and sea lavender flowers and leaves. Incorporating grass hay, turnip greens, kale into the diet is also recommended; otherwise add commercial pellet diet for maximum moisture absorption from its surroundings and food sources. Tortoises require access to fresh drinking water at all times as they absorb it through both their environment and food sources in order to maintain high moisture levels inside its body and to ensure maximum absorption from its surroundings and diet – therefore fresh drinking water should always be provided alongside its food sources – in order to absorb moisture through both sources simultaneously absorbing it all from both sources simultaneously!
Commercial Tortoise Foods
Some keepers use store-bought veggie pellets to ensure that their tortoises receive all of the minerals they require for optimal health. Although these foods contain essential nutrients for tortoises, they should only serve as supplements to their natural diet of greens and plants.
Priority should always be placed on feeding herbivorous tortoises a diet rich in grasses and hays from their enclosure; Sulcatas thrive on Timothy and Orchard hay diets as an example.
Grasse is packed with fiber, protein and nutrients and easy to grow in any backyard environment. As they’re also an excellent source of calcium, grass should also be offered alongside vegetables and fruit as a treat once or twice each week for tortoises. However, don’t feed fruit too frequently as too much could lead to obesity as well as other health problems in them – consider it more of an occasional treat than daily meal!
Calcium Supplements
Tortoises require an adequate supply of calcium in their diets and supplementation may be beneficial in providing this essential element. Commercial tortoise pellets can provide adequate nutrient levels; alternatively, many calcium supplements marketed specifically towards reptiles – like Nutrobal products – offer additional sources. Supplementation may prove particularly effective for juveniles or females who may become reproductively active later on.
Plaster of Paris blocks are not recommended as they contain predominantly calcium phosphate chemicals with minimal amounts of usable calcium. Furthermore, they may be contaminated with heavy metals like lead and cadmium and could pose serious health threats to reptiles. Any preparations promoted on websites or books like boiled eggs and cheese should never be given; tortoises don’t naturally consume such items in nature so try mixing together some leaves from dandelion, clover or chickweed and offering as an alternative source.
Other Alternatives
There is much misguided and incorrect advice out there regarding feeding tortoises on the Internet.
Tortoises are herbivorous animals that source their protein from plants. Many species can meet their protein requirements in the wild by roaming over large areas and grazing on grasses, flowers and other plant matter.
If your tortoise has refused to eat for any number of reasons, such as too cold an environment or respiratory infections or parasites. When this happens it is wise to seek professional help from a tortoise-specialized vet.
Add more greens to your tortoise’s diet instead of commercial food items, for a change. Sulcata tortoises have an array of plants in their native habitat which you can mimic using dandelion greens, endive, collards mustard greens kale watercress. Also offer small pieces of fruit such as apples bananas and strawberries twice every week as rewards.
